Seven weeks after Dad's surgery, delighted with a happy ending to the story, I'm back home in Omaha again trying to figure out what my new definition of "normal" is. I came home Saturday evening, and I must admit, I'm a bit lost. As happy as I am to be home with Adam, I miss my mom and dad, First Son, Wifey, and Little Man. And I miss being needed. I miss the routine. I had a routine before all this started, but it is no longer adequate because I've changed. So here I am with no routine, Adam is at work all day, so I am alone, and I have no purpose. I am lost. What an odd feeling to be 50 years old and still needing to "find myself".There are two ways to deal with depressing situations -- chocolate and shopping. Being a good dieter, I opted for shopping. Being unemployed, I had to be very, very selective, but I must say, this was one of the most uplifting shopping trips I've had in ages. When I started this weight loss journey, my clothing size was 24. You know, that's really, really HUGE. Today I am no longer huge. I am fat, but I am not really awful anymore. I am a size (drumroll, please).....16. That being said, I have to admit, though, that shorts do NOT look good on me yet. I tried. And then I laughed at how awful I looked. And then I tried on more reasonable clothes. While I was in Red Oak and had cable TV, I watched a few episodes of What Not to Wear, and I picked up some pointers on how to adjust to going from fat to skinnier. Good thing. It really does take some adjusting. It's okay now to wear clothes that are more form-fitting, for instance. I no longer need to drown myself in layers and loose-fitting clothes to hide the ripples. And a little flounce on top draws attention away from the bottom that is still too big. I loved shopping! And I feel pretty with these two new outfits that are perfect for office wear -- for either a new job or new clients for my consulting business.
Dad promised to keep walking each day, and he wanted me to do the same. He said between 2 o'clock and 3 o'clock each day he would be thinking of me and hoping I was continuing what he and I had started. Bless his heart! I was so much wanting him to persevere and continue the fitness fight, and here he is, encouraging me. I love him so much! And so yesterday and today I have gone out and walked, then checked in with him, comparing notes so we each stay on track. He has a better idea of how much he does since we measured out his steps at the hospital -- yesterday he walked a half a mile, and today he had physical therapy. I, on the other hand, don't have such accurate measurements. I walked about 6 blocks yesterday -- down to Kmart and back. That's much further than I could have gone 7 weeks ago. Before then, I was limited to having to walk at the store with the aid of a cart. Now I can go on my own. Unlike at the hospital with Dad, though, there was no place to sit and rest on the trek to Kmart and back. And there is plenty of pollen to bother my breathing. So I think I need to mostly stick with indoors walking. Today I went to the mall. To my surprise, there isn't a mall walking program there. Not that anyone knew about anyway. And no one knew about the distance estimates around the corridors. So I just walked as much as I could, sitting when I needed to, and stopped when my legs and feet started hurting.
Today's Tip:
You don't have to have cable television (I don't) to get the benefits of TLC's What Not to Wear. Great video tips are located online at: http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/what-not-to-wear-style-tips/
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